Pattern Changing course

Pattern Changing for abused women is a 14-week educational programme.

The programme focuses on the woman herself and her own power to change the course of her life. The course aims to enable women to begin to understand the problem of abuse and its impact on the entire family, to become aware of their lifelong patterns, to set realistic goals, and to learn techniques for developing new patterns of their own choosing.

The first Pattern Changing course in Devon was run in North Devon in 2001 and an external evaluation was carried out in 2004 to great acclaim.

To make the courses as accessible as possible they are held across the Northern Devon region including Torridge and as often as possible in very outlying areas. There is always a waiting list.

NDADA tries to run at least six of these courses per year but they are not currently directly funded. This means that availability is dependent on our fundraising activities.

“I am now able to ask for what I need and say “no”. Doing the course has helped me in all my relationships. The changes in my life have been very subtle but very positive.”

“I know that I have the right to say “no” and put myself first. I have become an assertive, confident woman instead of a controlled, suicidal wreck. I have no doubts that this is thanks to Pattern Changing.”

“For the first time in my life, I opened my eyes and really looked at the patterns my relationships had followed and how I could take control of my life, change the future and affect my happiness.”

A Pattern Changing course for up to 12 women at a time can be commissioned at a cost of £2,500.